Nets’ Official Top Scorer of 54 Years, Herb Turetzky, dies at 76


After one season at Teaneck, Mr. Turetzky followed the Nets to Long Island, where they played in three arenas, including the Nassau Coliseum; then three homes in New Jersey, including the Prudential Center in Newark; and finally to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

He made 1,465 consecutive appearances between 1984 and 2018.

“They aired my 900th game in a row on NBA TV,” he told New Jersey newspaper The Record in 2012. “Charles Barkley was open, and when they made that comment to Barkley, all he said was: face straight Nets game? Boy, this guy has seen some really bad basketball.”

“I’ve seen some bad games,” he added, “but I’ve seen some great games.”

In 2020, when the sum of all the bad and great games – and everything in between – reaches 2,206, Guinness World Records Confirmed as the most by an official goalscorer in NBA history.

Mr. Turetzky was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.

Herbert Stephen Turetzky was born on December 19, 1945 in Brooklyn. His mother, Rose (Pearl) Turetzky, was the accountant for Fox’s U-Bet chocolate syrup manufacturer. His father, Sam, was a plumber. Herb played basketball at the Brownsville Boys’ Club (now Brownsville Recreation Center), where he also learned to run a scoreboard and keep a scorebook.

After graduating from LIU with a BA in economics in 1968, he became a teacher and then principal at a Brooklyn elementary school. After that, he worked as a grant writer for the New York City Board of Education and got an award business. He earned two master’s degrees in education and management and auditing.

Meanwhile, Mr. Turetzky was going to Nets home games. His longest break from scoring duties began in November 1968, on his way to a game at Commack on Long Island. On the Long Island Highway, she lost control of her car, crossed a lawn divider and crashed into an oncoming vehicle. The driver was killed.

“I was in a coma for about six weeks and broke my entire left side, inflicted muscle damage, had a concussion, broke my jaw,” he told The Asbury Park Press in 2005.



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